What players buy
The items bought most in each of Valve’s four game stages
Public matches · each item’s own count
1stMost bought
220 buys
2ndSecond most
65 buys
3rdThird most
62 buys
4thFourth most
55 buys
5thFifth most
38 buysBy GamGem ResearchLast updated 22 Sept 2026
Medusa
Ranged · Agility
- Win rate
- 49.4%
- Pick share
- 0.3%
- Matches
- 133,032
- Patch
- 7.41f
Draft coverage
BringsCarryDisablerDurable
NeedsSupportInitiatorBurstTower damageEscape
Recommendation
Pick
- The game is heading for 20–30 min — that is where this hero measures best, at 51.4% over 6,055 matches.
Avoid
- Shadow Demon is on their side — this hero wins 25.9% of 54 matches against it.
- Ogre Magi is on their side — this hero wins 36.0% of 125 matches against it.
- Shadow Shaman is on their side — this hero wins 30.8% of 65 matches against it.
220 buys65 buys62 buys55 buys38 buys
Skill Order
Which ability to max first, and where each point goes — what most league players on Medusa took at each level.
QSplit Shot
Medusa magically splits her shot into several arrows.
No Target · Instant Cast
WMystic Snake
A mystic snake made of energy jumps from target to target dealing damage.
Unit Target · Magical damage
EGorgon's Grasp
Medusa fires arrows in a line that land in 3 groups, with each grouping larger than the previous.
AOE · Point Target · Physical damage
RStone Gaze
Any enemy units looking at Medusa will have their movement and attack speed slowed.
No TargetMax Order
WQE
Max W first, then Q, then E. Most took R at 10 / 13.
Level-up Order
- QSplit Shot
- WMystic Snake
- EGorgon's Grasp
- RStone Gaze
- TTalent
- AAttributes
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QSplit Shot | Q | Q | Q | Q | ||||||||||||
| WMystic Snake | W | W | W | W | ||||||||||||
| EGorgon's Grasp | E | |||||||||||||||
| RStone Gaze | R | R | ||||||||||||||
| TTalent | T | T | ||||||||||||||
| AAttributes | A | A | A |
Matchup map
How Medusa performs against every opponent with 30 or more counted games
89 opponents · public matches40%60%Medusa's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
Nobody in this lane sits here.
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard
If this happens, use this
- They are running away
Something that holds them still, or closes the gap yourself. Matched on “slow”, “stun”, “root”.
- I am being jumped
A way out, a way to shrug the debuff, or something to eat the burst. Matched on “shield”.
- Kill them in one window
Damage that lands now rather than over a minute. Matched on “magical”, “critical”.
- Pressure their mana
Burn it, drain it, or take the spell away entirely. Matched on “mana”.
- See what is coming
Vision, or true sight against something invisible. Matched on “reveal”.
By medal
- Herald49.8%4,011
- Guardian49.5%12,230
- Crusader49.8%21,384
- Archon49.8%27,985
- Legend49.5%28,155
- Ancient49.0%16,978
- Divine49.0%8,383
One count per medal, not one rate split across them; a medal with no counted matches is left out.
By match length
- 0–20 min44.9%2,073
- 20–30 min51.4%6,055
- 30–40 min50.8%4,408
- 40–50 min50.9%1,773
- 50 min +48.4%711
Bands under 120 matches are absent rather than shown small.
Learning Medusa
Abilities
Split Shot
No Target · Instant CastMedusa magically splits her shot into several arrows. These arrows deal a lower percent of her normal damage.The extra targets will not receive other attack effects (such as critical strike).
Mystic Snake
Unit Target · Magical damageA mystic snake made of energy jumps from target to target dealing damage. Damage and speed increases with each jump. After it reaches its last target, it returns to Medusa to replenish her with mana. The snake returns a percentage of the targets' total mana.
Gorgon's Grasp
AOE · Point Target · Physical damageMedusa fires arrows in a line that land in 3 groups, with each grouping larger than the previous. Enemies struck by a volley of arrows take an initial burst of damage and then are rooted, cannot turn, are revealed to the enemy, and take damage per second.
Cold Blooded
Passive · Hidden · Magical damageWhen Medusa is targeted with a spell, a single-target Mystic Snake is sent back towards the enemy that turns them into stone for 1s.
Mana Shield
Passive · HiddenCreates a shield that absorbs 98% of incoming damage in exchange for Medusa's mana. Illusions absorb 60% less damage per point of mana.
Stone Gaze
No TargetAny enemy units looking at Medusa will have their movement and attack speed slowed. If 2 seconds of total time is accumulated looking at Medusa while Stone Gaze is active, that unit will turn to stone. Petrified units are stunned, and take bonus physical attack damage.
Base attributes
- Strength
- 0 +0.0
- Agility
- 22 +3.6
- Intelligence
- 25 +3.6
- Move · range
- 275 · 600
Talents
- 4Stone Gaze Duration+40 Intelligence
- 3Mystic Snake Damage / Mana GainSplit Shot Outgoing Damage
- 2Gorgon's Grasp VolleyMystic Snake Cooldown
- 1Gorgon's Grasp RadiusStone Gaze Bonus Physical Damage
Aghanim’s Scepter
Changes Split Shot
Allows on-hit effects to apply to the secondary attacks from Split Shot. Increases arrow count.
Aghanim’s Shard
Changes Cold Blooded
When Medusa is targeted with a spell, a single-target Mystic Snake is sent back towards the enemy that turns them into stone for 1s.
Sources
- Kit, talents and upgrades · mechanicalread 22 Sept 2026
Ability names, icons, behaviour, damage type and text, plus the Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard descriptions — as the game itself ships them. Nothing here was counted over matches.
- Win rate by medal · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The same hero at each of Valve’s eight medals, over 4,610,063 public matches. Each medal carries its own sample, because the eight buckets are nothing like the same size.
- Matchups and match length · counted, on a narrower windowread 16 Sept 2026
Win rate against each opponent and across five match-length bands. This channel reports far fewer games than the medal figures above: the median hero pairing is 51 matches and the largest on the whole roster is 707. Rows under 30 games are absent rather than shown small, and the ones that remain are ORDERED by a figure shrunk toward even by its own sample — the rate you see is the real one, the ranking is the careful one.
- What players build · countedread 15 Sept 2026
The five most common items in each of Valve’s four game stages, with each row’s own pick count.
- Skill order · counted, in league matchesread 3 Oct 2026
Where skill points go, read off every player's own learning order in premium and professional league matches on patches 7.41 and 7.40. Each level shows the ability most players took there and the share that did — a column only a third agree on is printed as a third, not as the rule. Heroes under 30 counted games show no path.
- Situation index · derived, and checkableread 22 Sept 2026
Each situation is a phrase match against Valve’s own ability text, and every row shows the phrases that matched. No win rate is attached, because nobody counts one per situation.
Mechanics are the ones Valve publishes for patch 7.41f. GamGem is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation.